10 Oct
1997
10 Oct
'97
6:30 a.m.
Zane H. Healy wrote:
snip
Interesting. I'd always only considered FORTH to
be a language. So can it
provide a "OS" of sorts in the same sense that BASIC did on systems such as
the VIC-20 and C-64?
I took a quick look at the FORTH resources you listed, but they don't
really seem to have anything to do with PDP-11's. Is there a better place
to get information on it for the PDP-11? i.e. a DECUS directory in the
Sunsite archive?
Zane
Hi Zane:
If you look at the _basic_ idea behind FORTH as a language, you will
find that it completely bypasses any other OS.
I.E.
Forth consists of a few hundred bytes of machine code, that implements a
_minimal_ FORTH 'kernel'. With this 'kernel' in operation, the rest of
the necessary computer (machine) operating system is written _in_FORTH_.
Said OS being as complicated, or as simple as desired.
The 'minimal few hundred bytes of machine code', is processor specific.
The part of the OS written in FORTH is portable, and _NOT_ machine
specific.
The Forth Interest Group (FIG) home page is at
http://www.forth.org/fig.html , which is your best place to start
looking for FORTH information.
Chuck
--
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He, who will not reason, is a bigot; William Drumond,
he, who cannot, is a fool; Scottish writer
and he, who dares not, is a slave. (1585-1649)
While he that does, is a free man! Joseph P. 1955-
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